How do I start a business selling PCB Boards?

[Sashvat]

Hello everyone, I would like to start selling my own PCB boards, initially I thought of selling my own custom Microcontroller development board, but due to the global chip shortage I scrapped the idea. I am thinking of starting small, I have made a MicroUSB breakout board for people to use in their projects. But that also seems to be too expensive and no profit gained from it. Do let me know if you have any suggestions for this.

Thanks!

 

[Pommie]

My advice would be don't unless it's something niche. Maybe there's an area that is unique to your location that may be profitable but competing with any established businesses is doomed to failure. Maybe something for the farming community might work. A remote feeder/waterer etc. BTW, you need to sell a finished product, not a PCB.

Mike.

 

[Sashvat]

My advice would be don't unless it's something niche. Maybe there's an area that is unique to your location that may be profitable but competing with any established businesses is doomed to failure. Maybe something for the farming community might work. A remote feeder/waterer etc. BTW, you need to sell a finished product, not a PCB.

Mike.

Right, I was thinking of helping with peoples science projects, I am not quite sure about farming, because it would be too big a project for me to take up, which is why I am aiming at hobbyist electronics. So I was thinking finished boards like a Breadboard power supply

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Right, I was thinking of helping with peoples science projects, I am not quite sure about farming, because it would be too big a project for me to take up, which is why I am aiming at hobbyist electronics. So I was thinking finished boards like a Breadboard power supply

You can already get such things for less than the price of the parts from China - so how do expect to compete?

 

[Sashvat]

You can already get such things for less than the price of the parts from China - so how do expect to compete?

I was looking at better quality, the PCB power supply's take up so much space on the board, so I am thinking of reducing its size

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I was looking at better quality, the PCB power supply's take up so much space on the board, so I am thinking of reducing its size

The PCB quality is usually excellent, and presumably you'll be having the boards made in China anyway?.

If you think you can compete?, then feel free to try.

 

[Visitor]

Some years back I sold my TAP-28 bare boards for $10 or three for $25 and sold about 200 of them over the course of a couple years. It was a different time back then. To get board costs to a few dollars per board, you had to order in large quantities, 100+ boards at a time – getting a small quantity of boards made was around three boards for $75! In order to make a sellable board, a lot of effort was put into providing clear, concise documentation, including schematics, board drawings, assembly instructions, etc. I did make a small amount of profit on the boards, but the biggest reason I sold them was to have cheap (relatively) boards for myself.

The situation today is completely different. You can buy double-sided boards for as little as $5 or even $2 for ten boards from any number of Chinese vendors, using free board layout software (EasyEDA recommended). Selling a bare board for even $5 when somebody can make their own for 50 cents a piece may be a tough sell.

If you're contemplating selling assembled boards, first check out what you can buy on eBay and AliExpress. You mentioned power supplies. Can you complete against a module like this, available for less than $10?

If you really have got a design for something that's not easily available, you might try tindee.com.

 

[Sashvat]

The PCB quality is usually excellent, and presumably you'll be having the boards made in China anyway?.

If you think you can compete?, then feel free to try.

I was thinking of breakout boards for SMD chips, since it isn't available to many, it would be easier to buy them for prototyping, there wont be a chip pre assembled the user has to solder their own SMD chip. For now I am thinking of only SOT-23 chips

 

[Sashvat]

Some years back I sold my TAP-28 bare boards for $10 or three for $25 and sold about 200 of them over the course of a couple years. It was a different time back then. To get board costs to a few dollars per board, you had to order in large quantities, 100+ boards at a time – getting a small quantity of boards made was around three boards for $75! In order to make a sellable board, a lot of effort was put into providing clear, concise documentation, including schematics, board drawings, assembly instructions, etc. I did make a small amount of profit on the boards, but the biggest reason I sold them was to have cheap (relatively) boards for myself.

The situation today is completely different. You can buy double-sided boards for as little as $5 or even $2 for ten boards from any number of Chinese vendors, using free board layout software (EasyEDA recommended). Selling a bare board for even $5 when somebody can make their own for 50 cents a piece may be a tough sell.

If you're contemplating selling assembled boards, first check out what you can buy on eBay and AliExpress. You mentioned power supplies. Can you complete against a module like this, available for less than $10?

View attachment 132989

If you really have got a design for something that's not easily available, you might try tindee.com.

Completely agree with your point, but I have made some tiny PCB's like what you're saying but I think after the addition of assembly services by PCB fabricators, the cost of assembly and components has risen, so it may not be 50c. But yes I think making a power supply would be quite difficult looking at this product

 

[Visitor]

I was thinking of breakout boards for SMD chips, since it isn't available to many, it would be easier to buy them for prototyping, there wont be a chip pre assembled the user has to solder their own SMD chip. For now I am thinking of only SOT-23 chips

Oh, like these you mean?

 

[Sashvat]

Oh, like these you mean?

View attachment 133000View attachment 133000View attachment 133000

Exactly, in my country they are not widely found

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Exactly, in my country they are not widely found

Then just order a load and sell them yourself - cheaper than getting your own boards made.

However, presumably people in your country are already ordering their own from China?, like everyone else.

 

[Sashvat]

Then just order a load and sell them yourself - cheaper than getting your own boards made.

However, presumably people in your country are already ordering their own from China?, like everyone else.

Yes, I was also thinking that, but the problem is the profit that I get, it isn't that big, I don't expect huge but yes this is a good option also thank you. Another problem is importing it to my country from China. So Alibaba and other Chinese sites don't really work and customs are really strict

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I was thinking of breakout boards for SMD chips, since it isn't available to many, it would be easier to buy them for prototyping, there wont be a chip pre assembled the user has to solder their own SMD chip. For now I am thinking of only SOT-23 chips

www.proto-advantage.com

 

[Sashvat]

Hello everyone, I came up with this PCB board, so I shall explain you what I did.

I feel it is a bit difficult to connect sensors and work with in a project, wires all over the place and inaccurate readings because of thee placements of sensors or even the hassle of wiring them. Especially with Acc & gyroscope, you need to have it stable onto a fixed surface with the tension in the wires causing it to move. So I came up with this board where you can solder on your Arduino Nano, solder your required sensors (I have included Acc & Gyro, Humidity and Ultrasonic Sensor) and 4 M3 mounting holes to place this in your project.

I am also thinking of making models of this, Example- a PCB with an Arduino Nano and a single sensor, another one consisting of 2 sensors and this one with 3. The idea is to not waste your buying thee 3 sensor board when you only want 1 sensor for your project, plus the size.

Please let me know your suggestions, would like to know if this solves a problem for the hobbyist electronics. Thank you!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

You're just reinventing the wheel - there are countless similar type boards available, but if you feel there is a market for them than get some made and try and sell them - bearing in mind a very simple board like that would need to be extremely cheap anyway.

 

[Sashvat]

You're just reinventing the wheel - there are countless similar type boards available, but if you feel there is a market for them than get some made and try and sell them - bearing in mind a very simple board like that would need to be extremely cheap anyway.

I agree, but it is a place where you can connect all your sensors instead of using a perfboard to solder. Not many people might be good at soldering a perfboard, so I feel this would be easy to just simply connect and use for your projects.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I agree, but it is a place where you can connect all your sensors instead of using a perfboard to solder. Not many people might be good at soldering a perfboard, so I feel this would be easy to just simply connect and use for your projects.

If you think there's a market, and that people will pay enoguh for you to make aprofit, then go for it.

 

[Sashvat]

If you think there's a market, and that people will pay enoguh for you to make aprofit, then go for it.

But I would like to ask you your personal opinion, if you were using an Arduino nano for a project which involves sensors, would you use this board? If not why?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

But I would like to ask you your personal opinion, if you were using an Arduino nano for a project which involves sensors, would you use this board? If not why?

There are lot's of options out there, so it would depend if yours did something I wanted that others didn't, and if it was competitively priced. However, I've never bought any such boards - I would usually simply design my own - but I've not used a Nano, but do use Pro Mini's. In fact I've just had boards come from China last week using Pro Mini's for converting my cordless tools battery chargers to Li-Ion - with the board designed to replace the existing one in the chargers. I based on a design I found, and was going to port it to a PIC - but then thought "what's the point", as there's plenty of board space available.

Edit:

Here's an example, only £2.51

Multi-Function Funduino Nano Shield Nano Sensor Expansion Board Geekcreit for Arduino - products that work with official Arduino boards

Only US$3.99, buy best This nano shield lead out all digital IO port and analog IO port, each one with standard positive and negative power interface. Lead out the I2C interface of mainboard for convenient connection. sale online store at wholesale price.

www.banggood.com